Dripless cup and saucer



y 4, 1956 E. c. WATSON DRIPLESS CUP AND SAUCER Filed Sept. 21, 1955 INVENTOR Ernest C. Wainsom ATTORNEY nited States Patent Patented .July 24, .1956

DRIPLESS CUP AND SAUCER Ernest C. Watson, Roseburg, Oreg.

Application September 21, 1953, Serial No. 381,390

1 Claim. (CI. 65-15) This invention relates to cups and saucers and more particularlyto a saucer so constructed as to prevent dripping of liquid onto theperson using the same.

With the conventional cup and saucer, it frequently happens that some of the beverage or liquid contained in the cup will be spilled onto the saucer, and since the central portion of the conventional saucer and the area upon which the bottom of the cup rests, is the lowest surface area of the saucer, the spilled liquid gravitates toward the center of the saucer where it collects upon the bottom of the cup. When the person using the cup raises it from the saucer, the spilled liquid which may have collected on the bottom of the cup drips onto the person using the cup.

It is an object of this invention to provide a cup and saucer which prevents dripping of spilled liquid onto the user of the cup.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a saucer so constructed as to drain spilled liquid away from the central surface area upon which the cup rests.

It is still a further object of the invention to provide a saucer so constructed as to facilitate the stacking of a plurality of sets of mating cups and saucers in superposed relation to each other.

In accordance with these objectives, this invention provides a saucer having an arched or raised center portion upon which the bottom of the cup is received, with a raised ridge portion or other suitable cup retaining means provided around the raised center area of the saucer, this retaining means being provided with drainage passages or slots to permit drainage of spilled liquid away from the central raised area. The saucer slopes downwardly from the raised area and then slopes upwardly again toward its outer periphery to thereby define a storage basin in which the spilled liquid collects. A further feature of the invention is the provision of a ridge portion underneath the surface of the saucer to serve as a guide for the upper edge of a cup, this feature having particular utility when a plurality of sets of cups and saucers are stacked in superposed relation with respect to each other.

The features of the invention which are believed to be novel are claimed hereinafter with particularity. The invention itself, however, both as to its organization and use, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in Which- Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a saucer in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the saucer of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view in section along line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation showing a plurality of saucers stacked in close proximity;

Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation showing a plurality of sets of mating cups and saucers stacked in superposed relation; and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional view along line 6-6 of Fig. 1.

Referring now to the drawing, the saucer, generally indicated at 10, is provided with a raisedor convexcentral area 12 to receive the bottom edge of a cup .generally indicated at .14. The surface of the saucer slopes downwardly from the raised area 12 and then upwardly toward the outer edge 16 of the saucer to thereby define a storage basin 18 toward which spilled liquid gravitates from the central raised area 12.

In order to retain the cup in position, a retaining means 20 is provided having an inner diameter just slightly larger than the outer diameter of bottom-of the 'cup 14 which is to be used with the saucer. This retaining .means may assume various forms. For example, the retaining means 20 may consist of oval-shaped raised portions spaced apart at suitable intervals and all equally spaced from the .central axis of the saucer. The spaces 22 between adjacent raised oval portions permit radial drainage of spilled liquid from the raised surface 12 to the lower storage basin 18 of the saucer. If desired, each of the oval-shaped raised portions 20 may extend along a larger arc of the outer periphery of the raised surface 12 than shown in Fig. 1, in which case smaller drainage openings are provided between adjacent raised portions than shown in the embodiment of Fig. 1. The height of the uppermost surface of the retaining means 20 should not be higher than uppermost surface portion of raised area 12. The height of the outer edge 16 of the saucer should be higher than the height of the raised center portion 12 of the saucer.

A further feature of the saucer construction in accordance with the invention is the ridge portion 24 which depends downwardly from the underneath surface of the saucer in order to serve as a retaining means for the upper peripheral edge 26 of the cup when a plurality of mating cups and saucers are stacked in superposed relation as shown in the view of Fig. 5. The diameter of the inner surface of the ridge 24 should be just slightly greater than the outer diameter of the top edge of the cup which is to be used with the saucer. This permits a saucer 10 to be positioned above the top edge 26 of a cup positioned below the saucer, as shown in Fig. 5, so that a plurality of sets of mating cups and saucers may be stacked in superposed relation as shown in the view of Fig. 5.

A plurality of the saucers 10 may be stacked one above the other as shown in the view of Fig. 4. To facilitate stacking the saucers as close together as possible, the height of the downwardly depending ridge 24 should preferably be substantially the same as the upwardly extending retaining portions 20.

It can be seen that when liquid in the cup 14 spills onto the saucer, any of the liquid spilling onto the central raised portion 12 of the saucer will drain from the raised portion 12 through the drainage passage 22 to the lower surface 18 which serves as a retaining basin or storage basin for the spilled liquid. Thus, spilled liquid is automatically conducted away by gravity from the area beneath the bottom of the cup, and when the user of the cup raises it to drink, none of the spilled liquid is retained on the bottom surface of the cup to thereby spill onto the user of the cup.

While the invention has been described in connection with a cup and saucer, it is obvious that it is equally applicable to other types of dishes or containers in which one container is normally positioned above the other in a relation similar to that of a cup and saucer.

While there has been shown and described a particular embodiment of the invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the invention and, therefore, it is aimed in the appended claim 3 a to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the-true spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus set forth and disclosed the nature of this invention, what is claimed is:

In combination, a cup and saucer, said saucer comprising an upwardly convexed central portion, terminating in a peripheral smoothly rounded trough, the outside edge of said trough comprising an annular rim extending above the apex of said convexed central portion, said convex portion having a plurality of dot-like protuberances arranged in a circle at an intermediate portion thereof,

the diameter of said circle being substantially equal to the outer diameter of the base of said cup whereby said cup may be retained on said saucer against lateral displacement, said cup being of inverted frusto-conical shape, having a mouth of greater diameter than the diameter of its base, said cup having an upwardly coneaved base to accommodate the convex apex of said central portion, the openings between said protuberances serving to perrnit any liquid spilled from said cup to said convex portion to drain into said trough to retain the bottom of said cup in dry, dripless condition, and an annular ridge extending downwardly from the lower surface of said saucer, said ridge being of an internal diameter substantially equal to the external-diameter of the mouth of said cup upon which it may be stacked whereby firmly to hold said saucer against lateral displacement relative to said cup.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 117,766 Gibson Aug. 8, 1871 1,187,899 Gardam June 20, 1916 1,666,389 Mander Apr. 17, 1928 2,564,834 Devine et al. Aug. 21, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 15,342 Great Britain July 9, 1902 178,147 Germany NovQlO, 1906 204,375 Great Britain Sept. 24, 1923 525,264 Great Britain Aug. 26, 194 

